Apple must really feel the competition heating up, because Phil Schiller just can't say enough about Android these days. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Schiller -- Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing -- said that most Android users are running old software because updates are slow to roll out.

"With their own data, only 16 percent of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system," Schiller said. "Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old. A really big difference."

It's important to note that each Android OS update needs to be tested for several different hardware makers to make sure it's right for each one.

Further, Schiller trash talked the new Samsung Galaxy S IV, saying that it will be shipped with a year-old operating system because Android has a fragmentation issue.

"And that extends to the news we are hearing this week that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is being rumored to ship with an OS that is nearly a year old," Schiller said. "Customers will have to wait to get an update."

Android version install base as of March 4, 2013 [Image Source: Android.com]

"At Apple we know that it's not just enough to have products pumped out in large numbers," Schiller said. "You have to love and use them. There is a lot of data showing a big disparity there."

Schiller was bad-mouthing Android earlier this week in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, where he said that iPhone users are more satisfied with their smartphone experience than Android users and that Androids are the kinds of phones given as free replacements to feature phones. He added that Android phones make you "sign up for nine accounts" out of the box because it isn't as seamless of an experience as iOS -- where Apple is responsible for both hardware and software.

Apple's Phil Schiller posing with an iPad mini

It's interesting that Apple is starting to dig into Samsung and Android right around the release of the Samsung Galaxy S IV, which is due to make its first appearance today at the 7 p.m. ET launch event at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. The Samsung Galaxy S III made a big splash in the smartphone world, and the greater specs of the Galaxy S IV should mean increased popularity of the line.

You've got a Java (horrible) based apps on the Android side with a million different hardware variations vs a lean mean efficient Objective-C based apps on the iOS side with tightly control hardware which leads to different experiences.

Android (design decision) can never be as efficient and will always need more powerful hardware just to keep up with iOS devices on the (real world) performance envelop. I think it was a mistake on Google's part to not go compiled apps and I can see it when I use my Galaxy Note 2 vs my iPhone.

Fragmentation issues are annoying, besides the blurry UI you have things like incorrect video aspect ratios (all stretched out, etc) that you would never find in iOS.

But if you feel that a phone should be as close to a PC as possible and like to tinker away then Android is your game... TinkerBells.

quote: Android (design decision) can never be as efficient and will always need more powerful hardware just to keep up with iOS devices on the (real world) performance envelop. I think it was a mistake on Google's part to not go compiled apps and I can see it when I use my Galaxy Note 2 vs my iPhone.

The non-techies here with no experience using multiple platforms don't realize that relying on Java rather than a native languages like Objective-C with iOS or C++ and C# for Windows Phone puts Android at a serious disadvantage.

The result is an inherently choppier experience that requires more horsepower to keep up. The side effect is requiring larger batteries, but it still yields lower battery life than much smaller devices.

Android requiring larger batteries is what first spurred the push to larger screens, by the way. Battery life on "normal" size Android smartphones was a joke. Current "normal" size Android phones like the Galaxy S3 Mini cannot compete with something like an iPhone (neither can a normal GS3 for that matter) because they have to compromise so much reducing its size. Its a shame because the Mini's form factor is so much more practical and logical than the 5" almost-tablet "phones".

A lower clocked dual-core iOS device runs circles around a quad-core Android device at nearly double the clock speed, it is ridiculous. Same goes with Windows Phone. Even with first gen WP7 devices they'd get much smoother performance on Snapdragon compared to Android running on the much faster Hummingbird. Things haven't gotten much better either, the GS4 on JB looks just as choppy as the GS3 did on ICS.

Its crazy how much the cheerleaders here have their heads buried in the sand. Like, if you enjoy the platform then that's totally cool, but don't pretend it is perfect or the best either. The problems with it are legit and numerous.

Its like watching a Kia owner brag about how much better his car is than a Porsche. Mindblowing WTFness.

I think even Google knows it. Replacing Andy Rubin with the guy running Chrome (Google's best product by far) can't be a coincidence considering how far behind the Android OS still is in polish, security, features, etc.

quote: Fragmentation issues are annoying, besides the blurry UI you have things like incorrect video aspect ratios (all stretched out, etc) that you would never find in iOS.

Yup, years later and it still lacks the polish of iOS or WP. The main thing WP lacks is apps, but it has the best UI out there IMHO. It could be the mobile platform to rule them all if it had a developer ecosystem like what's on iOS, but that won't come without more users.

quote: But if you feel that a phone should be as close to a PC as possible and like to tinker away then Android is your game... TinkerBells.

Pretty much. If you like to tinker with superficial things then yeah, Android is a nice toy OS.